New K9 officer joins District 16

The Illinois State Police announced Friday that a new K9 officer, Bodhi, has joined the District 16 department.

By Travis Morse

Journal Standard

By Travis Morse

Posted Nov. 9, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 9, 2012 at 8:23 AM

By Travis Morse

Posted Nov. 9, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 9, 2012 at 8:23 AM

Freeport, Ill.

The Illinois State Police announced Friday that a new K9 officer, Bodhi, has joined the District 16 department.

The dog, a Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix, and his handler recently completed an intensive 10-week training program at the Illinois State Police Academy and have officially started work with District 16. The district now has two K9 dogs, Bodhi and Recon, according to a state police news release.

Bodhi is a full-service K9 that is serving as a replacement for the district’s previous dog, Tazer, who retired recently due to medical reasons after serving for over two years. Tazer is currently living with his handler.

Trooper Brent Massingill, a safety education officer for District 16, said Bodhi will perform a variety of functions for the agency, including drug detection, building searches, suspect tracking, missing person searches, and more.

“He’s a great tool for drug detection, which is probably the biggest use of our K9,” Massingill said, adding that suspects are less likely to flee from police when a dog is present. “Having the K9 around makes us a better law enforcement agency and it can help keep us safer.”

Bodhi and his trainer were already busy on Friday as Bodhi helped clear a building in Rockford where a burglary suspect was thought to be hiding, Massingill said. The suspect turned out not to be in the building, Massingill said.

“The K9 officer has a partner with him at all times,” Massingill said.

Bodhi was born in Czechoslovakia and is 16 months old, the news release states. He was acquired from Vohne Liche Kennels in Denver, Ind., using money that was seized in drug investigations, the release states.

“K9s are a tremendous tool for law enforcement on so many levels,” said Captain James Alexander, the District 16 commander, in the release. “Obviously, they are a huge asset for us when it comes to drug enforcement and officer safety, but being able to track fugitives or missing persons helps us greatly in our task of ensuring public safety.”